Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-07-29
Tra@p Of 500 Mile. Through - West.
ern Ahesetf

I
ern Desert.
The san Franchise Examiner recently
printed the following account of "a vouu.
mans experience m truveliu. from Tucson.
Arr, 70 the Golden Gate
James Gleason, age % YEAR. resided with
ms parents On a farm near Ellington. Chau
tAuquA county, y y bui becoming tired
Of the monotouy OF ms hie decided to com,
west For tins purpose he WINS gwen mon
/ ey 10y ms father. and after d tedluu, trip
he landed m Tucson. Arr. having So Ui
ms money remaining lie hai never learn
ed u trade and found It very difficult O..
/ get employment b. tne Jerritorg Ht
/ struggles lasted for some three months i1
III that city. tine young man earning uu co.,.
caslOnAl dollar al odd work. but meanwhile
/ his scsnty funds had been sinking uud u.
/ could see nothing but eventual starvation
I by remaining whiie there was hope for
/ INN, he thought, Oh tins side of the OUiora
/ do desert
/ lie mad 50 Of his money remaluiu- but
! between Tucson and I.5- Angeles was O.
I VIDE stretch of 300 mlles. luustI. dr-er.
anu with the exception 1l section nAud-
/ along the railroad perfectly innocent ot
/ population. 10y paying 81 10 tine brakeman
I he managed % ride upon freight tram. a.
/ lar rs Texas Hill, G. mirs east OF umA.
/ where he was discovered uy tine conductor
and forced from the train There hi, IucF
/ deserted him. Abandoned IN the desert
almost without money wholly lnexper.
/ enced III the know ledge % beating trains
and without tine disposition D. do ST.. tner,
was nothing u do but walk tine REMAINING
! 32u miles through u the City of tine All.
/ gels
Taxing Il couple of wine bottles from tine
side Of the railroad he filled them with Wa
ter. tled them together hung them over nls
I shoulder. and started on ms luul tramp tor
/ civilization At the end of Ais second day
lac landed IL y una, already fuotsore and
weary. Here another effort was made T.
ind work, but without success. After two
days rest ne started once more. and upou
d more barren desert than lac maj dreamed
existed IL the world j, was a terrible ur-
I dertAkIng, but behind was starvation. ahead
Wa life and possible success lie cOulu not
walk III the day time, ST. intense Was IN,
/ heat lie trudged on ms way all night
/ long, night after night, ana a. ms feet grew
/ sore and ms bones weary he staggered IKE
/ Il drunken man When uay came with it,
I clustering sunshine he would seek the Wei.
come shade of d nAnu-cEr house. wrap ms
7 shoes III has coat for u pillow. and between
} the biting Of tine huge tles winch lnie-t
that country get " nat rest was possible 10
was desert everywhere The whit. sand
drIfted in huge piies ike SNOW. and over
/ the land swept the not wind. clustering and
scorchlng all 1t touched am lu tine shade
I the thermometer ranged from no a. l2-
Al last there came day when hle and
death hung evenly ~ the balance, ouu-
+ Gleason mao started Tor walk from Oh,
section house 10 another rather late tur
such trip III such cAnIute TINS distance
was eight miles IL was almost DOB O'Clock
when he neared tine station ana seeing tine
building 30 close he RAISED the bottle 10 hi.
lips anu nolsLened them with nI. last aruu
of water There was plenty more a. boz
had III only few moment. wall but
horror As lac drew near lac saw 1o1 plain
iy evidences of desertIuu He gaZed INTO
the cIsteru but no water was there 10 was
d life and death struggle Eight miles more,
u walk, with the very neat ot a burning
furnace pouring down upon ms mead lie
started on, but every STEP forward cost o.
struggle. HIS lips broke open. ana the
blood oOzed out His tongue wa, SD s,,0I.
len he could barely breath,
for moment he sat down Ola the ties
but he realized that stupor was comlnr
on him Life II wa "a precious word
and he rose o. ms feet ami pressed on
About noon, reeiIng about almost crazy
he came to the section house. ana drank
deeply Of the abundant water Until now
he had had little trouble III buying food AT
the section houses, but here they at first
refused u sell He had 5. left Finally
he gave one of these for what he could eat
and II WAS considerable The next dav he
I tuuraas q uu.
ing dollar, having another good meal The
third day, however. being too independeut
10 beg, and having no money with which
10 BUY, he ate nothing After ms day
last his scruples We're someW nat deadened
ana on asking for aid he was given tine ON
by thing at hAnd-a can of tonato,,
The next DAY, which was the eleventh
since being forced from the cars al IeNn-
Hull, was Sunday, and coming b. Ia dairy
ranch ne applied 10 the only person on the
place-a workIngmHn-fOr something u
eat. The house was locked, and the only
thlng 70 be had WAS pan Of milk. which
was greedlly drank For DAYS the traveller
had seen beyond the desert the two beauti.
tul nowcapped peaks of san Iorgouia.
and they had been TO nm the border of
civilization To which he was struggling.
Nov they reared their proud heights on
either side, and two beautiful brooks bound
ing down the mountain side gave Il cheer
ing reception 10 the wAyfarer lu the
steep grade he climbed, and all about INN
were beautiful gardens and orange groves
On the night of the thirteenth dav. after
untold misery, the young man landed IA
Los Angeles His health was nearly vast
ed and, too proud 10 send home for money.
his struggles were by no means ended On
his long trip his clothes had become dirty
and ragged, and ms appearance was such
that no one would nave employed nm.
even had his condition permitted of hard
work. AT last he was forced to leave the
city to find food, and started mp the coast
After long wandering and many hardships
he landed IN San Francisco.
Ruined in health, but with spirit vet un-
conquered, Gleason declared 10 the report
er that he would yet find a foothuld in the
state and with such dauntless spirit it can
not be doubted that, despite ms bad appear
anee and debilitatiou, he is yet ON the roy
al road 10 a decent living